Are you 100% sure that your processor is only 32 bit? It may very well be that your OS only reports itself as that way and isn’t fully using the chip.
I think it’s more than probable that it’s 64 bit. Is this your computer: ?
https://www.newegg.com/compaq-presario-sr1900nx-student-home-office/p/N82E16883107100
It says 64 bit. The fact that this has an integrated ATI chip means that your linux experience is very likely to be a pleasant one. AMD puts a lot of manpower into its graphics drivers and they are open source so they are a positive out of the box “just works” setup.
Since you are using ethernet to plug into your broadband, your experience when using a modern Ubuntu, Mint, and I usually use Fedora or Manjaro, but the point is your experience is it should “just work” as soon as you get to your first boot. That is what you should expect, that’s what I expect when I do a new install or upgrade. Your only concern should be learning the applications, not tinkering with what’s under the hood.
These days Linux is easier I think for the average person than Windows.
You are correct, my machine is indeed a 64 bit machine, as reported by Linux Mint.
Windows XP only said it was 32 bit,,,
So I am currently converting/copying data across and will soon be done with XP.
Thanks for the tip!